A new electric vehicle brand, mia
electric, is set to hit UK shores next month when it showcases three
variants of its innovative Microbus at this year’s EcoVelocity motor
show (8th – 11th September).

Having been one of the highlights at last
year’s Geneva Motor Show, this will be the first time these cars have
been seen in the UK and the first opportunity for the general public to
get behind the wheel and experience mia’s zero-emission urban mobility
for themselves.

Head of UK sales at mia, Richard
Deslandes, said “We’re delighted to be debuting our cars in the UK. To
be launching our innovative approach to 100% electric zero-emission
mobility in the shadow of the iconic chimney stacks of Battersea Power
Station, in their day one of the largest producers of CO2 in
the capital, seems very fitting.

“The mia has been designed with cities
like London firmly in mind and we consider the UK as a priority market
for us (alongside France and Germany). We’ve been overwhelmed by the
response we’ve received since we launched in Geneva and now have 3000
confirmed orders. Production started in June and we will be producing
4000 vehicles this year to meet this initial demand. We hope to ramp up
production at our factory in Cerizay, France, to a total capacity of
about 14,000 by the end of 2012.”

The cars, which go on sale in the UK in
the first quarter of 2012, were designed by the former head of design at
Volkswagen, Murat Günak, and come in three configurations – the standard
short wheelbase model and two extended models, the mia L and the mia box
van.

All three vehicles are powered by an
18kW electric motor at the rear of the car that gives a top speed of 68
mph (110km/h). A 120 to 130km range is available from the 12 kWh battery
pack that comes as standard and the lithium iron phosphate batteries can
be fully charged in five hours. This technically sound battery system is
exceptionally safe and helps alleviate range anxiety by allowing “no
memory effect” charging. This means the battery can be charged for short
top-up periods with absolutely no adverse effect to the life of the
battery. (e.g. a ten minute charge will give an extra 6km of range).

The standard short wheelbase mia has
three seats in total, while the extended mia L has four. Instead of
three back seats, as in the mia L, the mia box van features a cargo
capacity of 1,500 litres.

The purchase price of the cars at
£22,000 (after the Government’s £5,000 incentive subsidy) and all
variants will be exempt from the congestion charge in London. The car
and batteries come with three year warranties, with the option to
purchase up to five years.